Chapter 102: Chapter 97: Founding the Shadow Warriors, Plan to Infiltrate Prince Jin’s Mansion

The sky gradually darkened.

For the moment, Lu Mingyuan hadn’t grasped the deeper meaning of Yun Qinghe’s words.

Instead, he made his way back to Qingzhu Hall. Upon his return, Hong Wan came forward with a damp cloth for his face, while Zi Yun had a fresh change of clothes ready.

Over the past year, Lu Mingyuan had long since grown accustomed to being served by his maids. He didn’t stand on ceremony; all he had to do was hold out his hands.

In fact, this was where they found their own sense of worth.

If Lu Mingyuan were to rashly take away the duties Zi Yun had performed for so many years, it would likely only cause her more distress and make her feel useless.

Zi Yun drew hot water for Lu Mingyuan, and Hong Wan helped him wash up and change.

This process included a good back-scrubbing session.

However, Lu Mingyuan discovered that although they were literate—and Hong Wan had even been the young lady of a prestigious family—their knowledge was severely lacking in certain areas. They needed his thorough instruction.

For instance, how to scrub a back to make it feel comfortable.

Zi Yun was an especially earnest student, as His Highness believed she would be the quickest to learn.

After once again savoring the experience in the bathtub, Lu Mingyuan emerged, holding his lower back. He felt that today’s bath had been exceptionally comfortable.

After washing and changing, Lu Mingyuan returned to his room. He took out a fine, long-stored Immortal Brew, poured himself a full cup, and took a sip. ’Ah, what a life…’

’No wonder they say the land of gentle pleasures is a hero’s grave. The ancients certainly weren’t wrong.’

’I’ve wasted the entire evening!’

Lu Mingyuan’s expression hardened with resolve. “How can a Martial Artist be brought down by wine and women?”

“Starting today, no more wine!”

Suppressing the stray thoughts in his mind, he sat upright on his wooden bed. Lu Mingyuan closed his eyes and began to visualize the blood-red Taotie Visualization Image in his Dantian.

A vivid, blood-red monster with a human-faced qilin body slowly took shape in his mind as dozens of breaths’ worth of time quietly passed.

The blood-red Taotie he visualized in his mind now had many more details.

Eyes like suns, a body as vast as mountains and rivers, and a form covered in blazing flames—all of it shrouded the Ancient Fierce Beast, the Taotie, in mystery.

It wasn’t that he had never asked Wei the Ninth about the origin of this Cultivation Technique.

The answer he received was that it came from the Demon Barrier of the Northern Country.

It was said to be one of the many Cultivation Techniques brought back three hundred years ago by an Emperor of Great Yan who had been captured and taken to the Northern Country. Back then, the Great Yan Emperor had surprisingly lived well in the Demon Country. The Sovereign of the Holy Netherworld treated him with the courtesy befitting a state guest, which was highly unusual. This led many in later generations to suspect that the enemy nation had intentionally let him return.

However, the Cultivation Techniques he brought back were deemed forbidden texts, burned to ashes, and lost to time.

Visualizing a full cycle of the Taotie image, Lu Mingyuan keenly felt his breath grow longer and deeper. His skin, flesh, sinews, and bones had all improved. His physical strength had become much more profound, and several of his Death Points showed signs of turning into Vital Points.

’Could it be that this is the method for sensing Divine Beings?’

Only now did Lu Mingyuan understand the purpose of the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture’s Sensing Chapter.

Visualize Divine Beings to strengthen oneself. When one’s spirit reaches Perfection, it can emerge from the body like a Primordial Spirit.

Engage in Qi Eating for longevity; achieve Refinement to become like a Divine Being.

’So that’s how it is.’

Lu Mingyuan’s eyes lit up.

A short while later, Hong Wan, her hair still damp, walked into the room carrying a bowl of steaming hot dumplings.

“Your Highness, these are from next door.”

“What’s the occasion? It’s not the Spring Festival.”

Lu Mingyuan frowned.

“They say Princess Consort Zhao made them herself.”

Hong Wan glanced cautiously at Lu Mingyuan’s face as she offered the reminder.

“Her?”

Lu Mingyuan smiled thoughtfully.

’Could it be that Yang Yingchan has figured things out?’

“Should you return the courtesy, Your Highness?”

“No rush. Let’s keep her waiting for a few days.”

Lu Mingyuan picked up his chopsticks, lifted a dumpling, and took a bite.

It was filled with lamb and radish.

“You may leave. Don’t come in without my permission.”

“Yes.”

After Hong Wan had withdrawn, Lu Mingyuan snapped his fingers.

Five Blood Glutton Puppets appeared abruptly. They were tall and were already in a half-kneeling position, one fist clasped in the other hand.

He could now give them simple commands to follow, such as kneel, sit, and bow.

Though it was frightening to think of them unmasked, revealing eyes that shot two beams of red light, the Puppets were now very practical.

For instance, they could execute top-tier Martial Arts like the Desolate Dragon Elephant Force and Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon without error. When performing a Saber Technique, their movements were as swift and light as his own body.

He had named them “Puppets,” but they were still beings of flesh, blood, and bone. They possessed a Dantian and meridians, and their consciousnesses were controlled by his Primordial Spirit, only lacking a Divine Soul of their own.

He had always called them Puppets or clones, but those names were far too crude.

Now that he could mass-produce these things, he could give them a formal name: Shadow Warriors.

The term “Shadow Warrior” signified a warrior who followed like a shadow, came and went without a trace, and acted in a mysterious manner.

The power of a single Blood Glutton Shadow Warrior might not be much, but a hundred, or even a thousand, of them in the future could form a considerable force and accomplish many things he otherwise couldn’t.

Lu Mingyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Strands of his Divine Soul gathered in his mind, manipulating the five Shadow Warriors to merge into a single entity, its power soaring to the level of a Grandmaster.

Although Martial Artists were not skilled in Refining the Spirit, they still possessed the basic ability to utilize their Divine Soul.

Lu Mingyuan’s Flesh Body remained perfectly still as he projected his consciousness completely into the Shadow Warrior before him.

Its face was a chaotic darkness. Then, its eyes opened, and it saw a handsome young man frozen in place before it.

The man had sharp, defined features, an extraordinary handsomeness, and brilliant eyes. He wore a Python Robe with a Jade Belt, a truly fine-looking figure.

“So I’m actually this handsome?”

Lu Mingyuan exclaimed. He felt like he could fall in love with himself with just a single glance.

His imperial father and mother were both exceptionally good-looking, so it was only natural that he wouldn’t be ugly.

He tried moving his limbs and testing his skills.

’It’s not bad. Not as good as my own body, but it’s serviceable.’

After cultivating the Divine Sensing Chapter, he could not only control the Shadow Warriors remotely but also project himself into them as a means of attack. ’This must be what they call a consciousness-body,’ he thought.

Lu Mingyuan had the Shadow Warrior put the Bronze Beast Mask from the table back on, leaving only two holes visible.

“A true master never takes off his mask.”

He controlled the Shadow Warrior’s body, which dissolved into a pool of blood and vanished from the hall. It left the Cold Palace and made its way out of the Imperial Palace.

’This state feels a bit like the Yin Spirit Emergence of Qi Cultivators,’ he mused.

Legend had it that Cultivators who formed a Yin Spirit could have their Divine Soul briefly leave their body, travel as an Escape Light, be as light as nothing, and move with lightning speed. They could wander at night, observing the rise and fall of the Mortal World.

The only difference was that he needed a host body to support him.

It was now late at night. The Capital was dark and silent, with only the occasional sound of a night watchman striking his clapper.

To the south, lights glittered from places like Chunxiao Tower, the Drunken Flower Tower, Treasure Wood Studio, and Huashang Square…

The surface of the moat surrounding the Capital City sparkled like stars. The Dancing Girls on the large boats had already retired for the night, waiting for business to resume the next day.

The Imperial Capital City was as prosperous as ever, truly worthy of its title as the number one city in Great Yan, seemingly unaffected by recent events.

Lu Mingyuan’s impression of the Imperial Capital was still based on memory; he had never experienced it firsthand like this.

Just as he was drifting freely beneath the Imperial Capital, enjoying his unfettered movement, he suddenly heard a sharp question from the surface.

“Where did this Ghost come from? Don’t you know that Yin Spirits, Ghosts, and other spirits are forbidden from roaming the streets of the Great Yan Imperial Capital City at night?”

The speaker was clad in Armor and held a Black Whip. Behind him followed several imperial envoys in black, each carrying weapons and shackles.

This shout forced Lu Mingyuan out, and he emerged from the ground.

Only then did he see the three large words on the plaque before him: City God Temple.

He glanced at the ethereal forms of the envoys and the armored figure in the lead, recognizing them as subordinate deities of the City God Temple, known as the Day and Night Traveling Gods.

This one was the Nether General in charge of night patrols, the Night Wanderer God.

’The Divine Soul gathered inside my Shadow Warrior must have made him think I’m some kind of ghost or specter.’

Unflustered, Lu Mingyuan cupped his fist and said, “Greetings, Lord Inspector. I am new to the Imperial Capital and was unaware of the rules.”

“New to the Imperial Capital?”

The Night Wanderer God carefully scrutinized the Shadow Warrior. It wore a Bronze Mask, and its Divine Soul was unremarkable, yet the qi and blood of its Flesh Body were so vigorous that he would have believed it was a solidified spirit.

“However, this is the Imperial City God’s Mansion. Everyone is treated equally. Since the Court has appointed me as the Yin Spirit of this place, it is my duty to maintain order.” He spoke officially, “According to Great Yan Law, you must leave your name and address to be recorded in the register for future inspection.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan felt a little helpless.

’So that’s why you don’t see a single ghost or Netherworld creature causing trouble in the vast Imperial Capital. It’s because this is the Imperial Capital City, after all.’

’All spirits and deities must submit to the control of Great Yan. If you don’t, your divine soul will be annihilated.’

’But what name can I give?’

Racking his brain, he could only invent one.

“I am from Guan Kou County in the Ba and Shu Region, from the Qingyuan Temple of the True Monarch of Profound Dao. People call me Yang Erlang. I’ve come to the Imperial Capital on my travels.”

Seeing how quickly and precisely he spoke, the Night Wanderer God didn’t grow suspicious. He had a subordinate official to the side record the information, then waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, you may go. Do not travel late at night in the future and disturb the common people. The Daoists from the Three Academies are not as easygoing as I am.”

After nodding, Lu Mingyuan’s figure vanished once more, reappearing at the main gate of Prince Jin’s Mansion.

From his perspective, it was as if something was blocking the entrance to Prince Jin’s Mansion, which was blazing with a brilliant Golden Light.

…

This Chapter is a bonus for reaching one thousand monthly tickets. I keep my promises.

In the upcoming Chapters, I want to show everyone a bit of what the underbelly of this world looks like.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep